
Bulgarian parliament elects Rumen Radev as new prime minister
The former president received 124 votes from lawmakers representing the Progressive Bulgaria coalition

The former president received 124 votes from lawmakers representing the Progressive Bulgaria coalition

The party will be represented by 131 members of parliament in the new legislature

The EU fears Rumen Radev, leader of Progressive Bulgaria which won parliamentary elections on April 19 with 44.594% of the vote, will replace Hungarian PM Viktor Orban as an obstacle to uninterrupted support for Ukraine. Radev opposes weapons supplies to Kiev and calls for restoring EU relations with Moscow, including Russian oil imports. If his actions match his program, he will terminate all Ukraine supply agreements signed by Bulgaria's interim government in March.

Progressive Bulgaria, led by President Radev, won a historic 44.7% of the vote in Bulgaria's latest election, exceeding polls and potentially ending the nation's chronic instability that produced eight elections in five years. The pro-European party far outpaced rivals We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (12.8%) and the long-dominant GERB party (13.4%), riding voter frustration with corruption and entrenched political forces.

Former Bulgarian president Radev, 62, has won a landslide victory with his Progressive Bulgaria party, securing at least 135 of 240 parliamentary seats. He defeated the liberal PP-DB coalition (15%) and ex-PM Borisov's GERB party (13%). The election was called after the previous government attempted to pass a controversial budget in December, sparking mass protests. Radev, a former Mig-29 fighter pilot who stepped down as president in January after nine years, opposes direct Bulgarian military support for Ukraine but is expected to allow arms exports via third countries.

With 87% of the vote now counted, Progressive Bulgaria has secured a majority in parliament.

Early results put his Progressive Bulgaria on 45%, well ahead of the liberal PP-DB coalition, which stood at 15%.

Exit polls show President Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party winning 37% of the vote, more than double former PM Boiko Borisov's GERB at 16%. The election was called after a controversial budget sparked mass demonstrations. Radev, 62, a former air force commander, stepped down in January after nine years as president to form his new movement, promising to combat corruption and restore stable government.

The polls indicate that the coalition is garnering from 37.5% of votes (Alpha Research) to 38.9% (Market Links)